Police Notice Improvement in Driver Behaviour

Canterbury Police, who for the last six weeks have been targeting drivers who follow too close, have noted some improvement in driver behaviour.

From the Northern Motorway to Woodend, an area with a significant history of nose to tail crashes, drivers have been allowing safer following distances between themselves and the vehicle in front.

Sergeant John Hamilton of the Canterbury Highway Patrol said enforcement of the tail-gating problem appears to be paying off.

'While we still issued 51 infringement notices over a 2 day period this week for following too close, we have noticed fewer incidents of vehicle aggression by drivers', he said. 'When drivers use the 2 second rule between vehicles there is more chance of stopping safely in the event that the vehicle in front makes a sudden stop, which in turn means fewer nose to tail crashes. Our aim is to reduce the trauma caused by aggressive driving, and tailgating is a classic example of this'.

Although Police are encouraged by the apparent positive change in behaviour they have seen so far, this enforcement strategy will continue, and will also target other areas with similar crash history.
John Hamilton
Sergeant
Canterbury Highway Patrol
Rangiora
29 May 2008

Below is the original release, dated 7 April 2008:

Keep Your Distance!
Police are targeting the aggressive driving habits of some motorists who follow too close to the vehicle in front of them.
In preparation for winter driving conditions and as a result of complaints of 'tail gating' from the public, Police are checking the following distances of cars and trucks on the North Canterbury Highways.
'Following too close is the most common cause of nose to tail crashes' stated Senior Sergeant Neville Hyland of the Canterbury Highway Patrol.
He also said that many people find the behaviour intimidating and feel threatened by having another vehicle travel too close behind them.
'The general guide for following distances on dry roads and in ideal driving conditions (regardless of speed) is the 2 second rule. This should be doubled for wet conditions.'
Vehicles travelling up to 50 kmh should have 20 metres of distance between them (or 5 car lengths) and vehicles travelling over 90 kmh should have 36 metres or 9 car lengths between them. Drivers following too close to the vehicle in front run a serious risk of hitting that vehicle if it has to make a sudden stop.
Over this weekend North Canterbury Highway Patrol Officers have issued 45 notices for drivers travelling too close to the vehicle in front, and the campaign is set to continue.